Path of the Outcast
by TheHiddenAssassin
Summary: When Naruto is beaten by a mob at age seven, He meets the Kyuubi who reveals a little bit about who, or rather WHAT Naruto really is. AU Warhammer40k x-over
1. Chapter 1

Yo, all

**Yo, all! Once again I was struck with inspiration for Naruto/Warhammer 40k. (These are becoming a constant for me, neh?) Anyways, I got this the idea the last night after I updated Cold as Death. Let's see how it goes!**

**Diclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Warhammer 40k blah blah blah you know the drill. **

**Path of the Outcast**

**Prologue**

Seven year old Naruto Uzumaki was running for his life. It was October the tenth.

His birthday.

Young Naruto dashed through a dark alleyway, hoping to through off the mob that was chasing him. Apparently there were a few shinobi in the crowd, because no matter where he went, the murderous villagers seemed to know exactly where he was. Naruto skirted around the alley corner and came to a dead stop. A large mob of people were standing in the middle of the street armed with various tools and weapons. All of them looked pretty pissed off.

"Kill the demon!"

"Finish what the Yondaime started!"

"You damned monster!"

They yelled at the now terrified boy. Naruto slowly backed up until he his back came into contact with a wall. His eyes widened in horror as the crowed moved towards him.

'What did I do? Why do they all hate me?' he thought, tears beginning to run down his face. Just then two shinobi jumped in front of the crowd.

'Ninja! I'm saved!' Naruto thought, hope rising. This hope was crushed, however, when the two Chunnin turned to him and began to for hand signs.

**Fire style: Grand Fireball jutsu!**

**Water Style: Water Bullet jtsu! **

The two shinobi fired off their jutsu at the blond haired container. Naruto screamed in pain as the two techniques hit him. He slumped against the wall an fell over. The two ninja walked over to him and proceeded to stab him repeatedly with kunai.

"This is for my sister you damn demon!" one screamed as he stabbed Naruto in the chest. Naruto gasped in pain and coughed up blood. The mob decided it was their turn and began to beat him and stab him with their various weapons.

'Oh kami the pain! Make it stop please! I don't want to die.' Naruto thought desperately. Slowly his vision began to fade into darkness.

'Don't….wanna…die.' After these sluggish thoughts, Naruto was consumed by darkness.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Naruto awoke groggily to find himself in……a sewer.

"W-what the?" Naruto looked around. "What the hell is this?" he questioned out loud. Slowly he began to walk down one of the hallways.

Might as well see where it goes.

After a few minutes of walking he came upon a very strange site. In the middle of a cavernous room stood a large cage with the word 'seal' on it. Naruto cautiously took a step towards the cage. Just as he reached the bars, a wave of power blasted him back.

"**Who dares disturb my rest?" **a large dark voice echoed throughout the room. Naruto jumped away from the cage, now scared out of his wits. Slowly something began to move within the cage. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as the figure came to light.

A giant red fox with nine tails fanning out behind it.

"**Well little mortal. I did not expect to see you for quite some time. How is it that you came to be here I wonder?" **The beast paused for a moment, staring off into space. **"Ah, now I see. Foolish Mon'kiegh, once again they astound me with their stupidity." **The fox turned to look at a shivering Naruto. **"There is something about you." **He mused. He began to probe into the boys memories. **"Something that- aha! Well now this really is interesting." **Naruto began to be less afraid of the giant creature and more curious. "What are you doing?" he managed to croak out. The fox chuckled slightly.

"**I never expected to see one of your kin again." **Naruto cocked his head.

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked. The great beast shook his head.

"**Now is not the time. For now, you must sleep. Rescue is coming for you. Sleep and become strong, little Son of Asuryan." **Naruto was about to question this statement when everything went dark.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sarutobi landed in the middle of the mob with a group of ANBU.

"What the hell is going on?" He roared. One bold villager spoke up.

"Finishing what the Yondaime started. That demon should be kill-!" the man was silenced by one of the ANBU who stabbed the villager in the neck with his katana. The crowned stood in stunned silence. Sarutobi nodded to the ANBU. He then turned and gasped as he saw the state that Naruto was in.

"Dog, Cat! Arrest these people. Weasel help me get Naruto-kun to the hospital!" The ninjas nodded and began to do their tasks. Weasel grabbed Naruto's bloody, beaten body and rushed off to the hospital.

After an hour of trying to find a doctor that would actually treat the blond container, Naruto was finally admitted to a room. Sarutobi stood over his bead watching anxiously for any sign that the boy would get better. Just then the doctor walked in.

"How is he?" The Hokage asked. The doctor walked over to his side and shifted nervously.

"Well, he has a punctured lung, five broken ribs, a fractured arm and there is internal bleeding near his left kidney. And that is just the physical damage." Sarutobi winced. "But the odd thing is, most of these wounds are healing at a rapid pace."

'Most likely Kyuubi's doing.' The Third thought somberly. Just then Naruto began to groan. Sarutobi and the doctor leaned over him.

"Naruto! Naruto can you hear me?" Sarutobi asked softly. Naruto's eyes fluttered opened.

"O-old man?" he asked weakly. The Third leaned closer. "Where can I get some ramen around here?" Sarutobi smiled.

'Always thinking with your stomach, eh Naruto?' "I'll see if I can get some brought right to you, my boy. For now just rest." Naruto nodded and closed his eyes once more. The doctor began to head out the door.

"I guess I'll go fill out his medical report. He should be fine for now." Sarutobi nodded and followed the doctor out. He cast one last glance inside the room before closing the door.

Naruto's head was rushing with questions.

What was that giant fox?

Why was he trapped in a cage?

And most importantly, what was a Son of Asuryan?

**AN: Eh I'll end it there for the prologue. I know, that three 40k x-overs might be a bit much, but hey, when inspiration hits, I'm sure as hell going to use it! This is one of two stories that I might or might not continue. I'll leave it up to the readers to decide. If I get enough encouragement to continue, heck ya I'll continue. Also I will post the prologue of another 40k idea soon (it never ends!) If I don't get good feedback, I'll just file it away for later times. Also, I felt like posting the pairings for my other stories here and not waste your time with annoying Author's notes. **

**Cold as Death Pairing: Naru/Yugao**

**For the Greater Good: Naru/FEM kyuubi (My favorite) **

**This Story: ?? **

**Grey Naruto (coming soon) : ??**

**Give me ideas for pairings for the last two stories. Alright well that's all for now, folks! READ AND REVIEW! **

**Va Benne!**


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again, folks

**Hello again, folks! People seem to like this story better than Grey Naruto, so I will update this one before it. I will probably update For the Greater Good next as people seem to like that one a lot as well. Well here y'all go the next chapter for Path of the Outcast! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto….but YES I DO OWN WARHAMMER 40K MUAHAHAHA! Warp spider/lawyer jumps out of nowhere and stabs TheHiddenAssassin I…mean…I own…..nothing…cough……**

**Path of the Outcast**

**Chapter 1**

Naruto strode down the street happily. It had been almost a year since that night with the mob. Since then, Naruto's life had taken a slight turn for the better. After seeing what the Sandaime had done to the mob members, nobody had gotten the courage to attack the small boy. They had settled for glaring at him, cursing him and the general neglect. Naruto took it all in a stride. After all, it couldn't be worse than the beatings, right? Naruto glanced around at the villagers. They seemed to make a point of moving to the other side of the road when he walked by and some openly glared. Naruto frowned slightly.

'_Jeez, this is going to take some getting used to.' _He thought glumly. He sighed heavily and headed up to his apartment. In a dark alley across from Naruto's apartment, a figure stood hunched over.

'_That damned demon!' _the man thought furiously. _'It's bad enough that we have to suffer that thing to live in our village at all, but now we get punished if we try and get revenge! That old fool of a kage is too blinded by the demon's power to see what really happens.' _He glowered at the boy as he climbed up to his room. '_Soon. Soon we will be rid of that little bastard and there will be nothing that fool Sandaime can do.' _The man smirked and began walking back down the alley. He had a mob to gather.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto opened the door to his apartment and walked in quietly. His apartment was surprisingly well kept. Naruto walked into the kitchen and grabbed some instant ramen. After setting the water to boil he walked back into his living room and sat down on the couch, staring at the ceiling. He thought of how events played out in his short life. A lot of things confused him. The hatred, the beatings and even the Hokage. Naruto knew for a fact that the Old Man knew why he was treated this way, and he lied to Naruto about it. Then of course there was the strange meeting with that…thing last year. Naruto frowned slightly.

'_**Sleep and become strong, little Son of Asuryan.**_' The words echoed around the young blond's head. No matter how many times he thought about it, the words drove him crazy.

'_Who was that? Why did he call me that? What does it mean?' _the questions danced through Naruto's head. Naruto was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of boiling water. Naruto got up and fixed up his dinner. Naruto liked ramen. No, Naruto LOVED ramen. But for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to enjoy his meal as much as usual. Those damn words wouldn't leave his head! Naruto ate his meal and decided to go to bed early.

He had just drifted off to sleep, when a loud, all too familiar, sound jolted him out of bed. He froze. He heard shouts coming from out side his apartment.

'_Oh, kami. They're back!' _Naruto thought frantically. He looked around his for somewhere to hide. He glanced at his window.

Too high up.

He could here the mob pounding on his door. They would break it down soon enough.

'_Damn it! What happened, I thought they were going to leave me alone! _Naruto jumped at the sound of a large crash, signifying that the mob had just broken in.

"Today you die demon!"

"This is for my sister!"

"Kill the little freak!"

Angered cries filled up the apartment as the murderous mob poured in. Naruto froze in fear.

"There he is!" someone shouted. Naruto felt someone grab him roughly and pick him up. The mob dragged Naruto out into the center of his apartment and began to beat him with ferocity. Someone in the crown must have been a ninja because a lot of people were armed with various ninja tools such as kunai and shurikan. Naruto just lay flat on the ground, taking the brutal hits as they came. After a while of the torture, Naruto's brain finally became overwhelmed and he faded into merciful unconsciousness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto opened his eyes and was greeted with the somewhat familiar site of a sewer. He sat up turned to see that he was in front of the giant cage.

'_Eh? Here again?' _He thought.

"**Again indeed little one." **A voice boomed from behind the bars, making Naruto jump. The young blond's eyes widened.

'_That voice..' _

"**I didn't expect to see you here again so soon. Ah well, such is fate I suppose. I'm guessing that those stupid mon'kiegh put you in this state again." **The voice said, echoing throughout the room.

Mon'kiegh

The word slipped into Naruto's head smoothly. The word sounded strange…and yet it also sounded right somehow.

"What does that mean?" Naruto managed to gather enough courage to croak out. "Mon'kiegh, what does it mean?" The voice rang with laughter.

"**It means human, little Son of Asuryan. But I guess you wouldn't know about that stuff yet." **Naruto blinked in confusion.

"What exactly are you?" he questioned, a little braver. He could see something begin to shift in the perpetual darkness of the cage. He bit back a gasp as a giant fox appeared in front of him.

"**This is my form. Though it was not always so." **He said, somewhat to himself. Naruto gaped at the giant monster for a moment, but quickly recomposed himself.

"What is your name?" he asked innocently. A booming laughter echoed loudly throught the sewer-like mindscape.

"**You show little fear, young one. That is good….breeds warriors. As for my name, you and your…..people would know me as the Kyuubi no Kitsune." **Naruto gasped.

"B-but the Yondaime killed you!" he shouted. Kyuubi shook his massive head.

"**No, he did not. I could not be stopped by him. So, he sealed me….into you." **The mammoth fox finished quietly. Naruto sat frozen.

'_It all makes sense now. The hate, the beatings…….Old Man Hokage knew.' _Naruto scowled slightly at the last part. He glanced up at the giant fox.

"I see." Was his simple answer. Kyuubi chuckled slightly.

"**Heh, you show calm in the face of such astonishing revelations. I suppose that is your racial instinct showing through." **Naruto was really confused now.

"My racial what? What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. Kyuubi sighed slightly.

"**Well, I suppose you would have found out eventually. Though I assume that your 'Hokage' would have liked for you to live without knowing. Stupid Mon'kiegh to think he could control the fate of a Son of Isha." **Naruto just stared blankly at him. **"Ah, anyways you are going to have to realize that there are more worlds out there than just your own and many other races as well." **Naruto stared in surprise.

" Umm that is pretty cool, but what does that have to do with me?" Kyuubi let out a massive sigh.

"**I will make this simple for you. You are not human." **Kyuubi stated bluntly. Naruto gaped at him.

"W-what?" was all he managed to say. Kyuubi elaborated.

"**Boy, I can sense the power in you. I know for a fact that you are not human. Though, I never would have expected an Eldar to show up here. This planet isn't even an Exodite world." **He said the last part to himself. Naruto was staring in shock at the giant fox.

"H-how can I not be human?" he asked frantically. "If I'm not human, that what the hell am I?" he shouted the last part. Kyuubi just sat quietly for a moment.

"**Well you might want to get comfy young one, this story will take a while." **Kyuubi said after a moment. He cleared his throat. **"Now then, in the long distant past, before humans had even come into existence, there were the Eldar. They were created by the Old Ones, who I won't go into detail about right now, and were one of the first sentient races in the galaxy." **Naruto stared at Kyuubi, wide-eyed. **"The Eldar were created to fight a long bloody conflict with another race. (AN: if you REALLY want the whole explanation go look it up on wikipedia or my other story Cold as Death.) Anyways, the Eldar empire thrived for a long time, but like so many others it fell. The Eldar are a race that is extremely in tune with the Warp (AN: Once again, see other story or wiki. I ain't typin all that shit again) Eldar are a very passionate race who are very in tune with sensing emotions through psychic means. An Eldars mind is more capable of feeling emotion or imagination than a human's. Over time the Eldar began to crave the natural passions of their race and derived to gain even the least amount of pleasure from anything. They began to see killing and pain as true an art as any other."** Naruto sweatdropped slightly. A race of masochists? **"Anyway, these actions eventually caused what was known as The Fall. When an Eldar died, their soul would end up in the Warp. All the emotions and souls of the Eldar somehow piled together there, creating the chaos god Slaanesh." **Kyuubi became noticeably angrier when he spoke the name. **"Slaanesh rose up and killed almost all of the Eldar gods. " **Naruto cocked his head.

"Gods?" Kyuubi nodded.

"**Yes the Eldar worshipped numerous gods. Isha, Vaul and Cegorach to name only a few. The Eldar god known as Kaela Mensha Khaine fought Slaanesh and was destroyed, shattering into millions of pieces, all spread throught the galaxy. The Eldar empire collapsed and the Eldar fled their homes on large spacecraft known as Craftworlds. Nowadays the Eldar live in space on these Craftworlds, never much involving themselves with the affairs of the younger races. I am not sure how many craftworlds are out there. I know for a fact that your parents were both Eldar, though from which Craftworld I do not know." **Kyuubi finished. Naruto sat in silence for a moment.

"How do you know that my parents were Eldar?" he asked finally. "You seem to know more about me than I do. Though to be honest I'm not surprised." He mumbled the last part.

"**I could sense your mother's Warp presence screaming out from somewhere in the village. Probably child birth." **Kyuubi mused, sweatdropping. **"And I could sense that your father was an Eldar even as he sealed me into you." **Naruto's eyes grew wide.

"The Yondaime is my father?" he said incredulously. Kyuubi nodded.

"**Yes. I didn't wish to kill him, but when I go on a warpath, there is nothing to stop me. Heck, who can stop the embodiment of war?" **Kyuubi said. Naruto gave him an odd look.

"You haven't told me where you fit into all of this. You seem to know almost every thing about the Eldar, yet it is obvious you aren't one yourself." Naruto indicated the giant fox form. Kyuubi nodded.

"**Very observant. Yes, I am no Eldar. My name is Kyuubi, though I had a different name once. I was once whole, not the shard of existence that you see now. When I fought Slaanesh, my body was shattered and some of the pieces fell into the Warp. The twisted insanities and twists of the Warp altered these shards, giving them sentience. I awoke on this planet a millennia ago and from then on I watched and learned all I could about the world around me." **Kyuubi explained.

Naruto's eyebrows shot up into his hair line. "Wait, shattered? Then that means that.."

"**Yes, I am called Kyuubi, but for all intensive purposes I am Kaela Mensha Khain, god of war." **Kyuubi stated proudly. A stunned silence filled the room.

"Well…..this is a lot to take in." Naruto said softly. He lifted his eyes to the god. "I just have one more question." Kyuubi nodded.

"**Ask away, young one." **

"Why did you attack Konoha?" The young Eldar asked bluntly. Kyuubi sighed.

"**I figured you would ask that. I was simply in the area when I sensed the taint of Slaanesh." **Kyuubi spat the name. **"When I sensed the presence of my enemy I was driven into a blind rage. I dashed to the source of the taint, Konoha." **Naruto's eyes widened dramatically.

"There is a Slaanesh daemon here in Konoha?" he asked frantically.

"**Well not anymore. It probably wasn't even a daemon but a human that had been corrupted by the dark god. Unfortunately I was so consumed by my rage that I overlooked that detail. I was challenged by your father, and ultimately sealed into here." **Kyuubi finished his explanation. Naruto just nodded his head in acceptance.

"Well at least that explanation makes sense. So what happens now?" he queried. Kyuubi gave a thoughtful hum.

"**I suppose, until you wake up, I could teach you some of the most natural Eldar abilities. It seems that your natural abilities have lain dormant since you were born. No doubt from the lack of other Eldar in your presence. Now then, the first thing that I will teach you is……"**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sarutobi sighed for the millionth time that evening. His ANBU had discovered Naruto in his apartment beat and left for dead.

'_Why did they start attacking again? I thought that they stopped when I executed that mob last year.' _The Sandaime thought. A moan from the bed caused him to jolt out of his thoughts.

"Naruto?" The old Hokage walked over to the boys hospital bed. Naruto moaned again and sat up.

"Old Man?" he asked groggily. Sarutobi smiled warmly.

"Yes, Naruto I'm here. You are safe now." Naruto frowned slightly. "What's wrong Naruto?" The kage asked him worriedly. Naruto looked up at the Sandaime with a serious face.

"Old Man, who were my parents?" He asked in a deadly serious voice. The question caught Sarutobi off guard and he flinched.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I don't know. A lot of people died in the Kyuubi attack and I wasn't able to find anything." He said quickly, trying to cover up his nervousness. Naruto glared at him.

'_Don't you lie to me Sarutobi.' _The Sandaime's eyes widened in shock as the words slid into his mind. _'Surprised? I met Kyuubi a little while ago and told a lot of interesting things.' _The thoughts were fierce and Sarutobi began to sweat. '_How about the fact that you have been keeping me from knowing who my parents were this whole time or the fact I'm NOT EVEN HUMAN!' _The shout echoed through the old kage's mind, causing him to wince.

Throughout the entire thing Naruto stared up at the Hokage with an angry glare. The Hokage's brain was in overdrive, trying to find a way out of this predicament. If Naruto was in contact with Kyuubi, then there really wasn't any way to hide the truth anymore. The aging Kage sighed.

"I am sorry Naruto. Yes I knew who your parents were. You must understand, your father had a lot of enemies. I lied to you to protect you, if anyone ever found out that you were the Yondaime's son…" Sarutobi didn't finish the sentence. His explanation seemed to mollify Naruto slightly.

"Well what about not being human?" He asked harshly, speaking out loud this time.

"It is true that I knew that Minato and Kushina were both Eldar, but Minato didn't tell me until a few weeks before the Kyuubi attack. He asked me not to tell you until I felt you were ready. I truly am sorry for lying to you, my boy." Sarutobi finished, looking even older than before.

Naruto nodded and processed the new information.

"Did my parents leave anything behind?" he asked suddenly. The Sandaime nodded.

"Yes, actually. They had a clan house that they left behind. I made sure to keep it empty until you were old enough to move in. I guess this just speeds that up." The kage smiled slightly. "I can show you when you're well enough to leave the hospital."

Naruto immediately bounced up and out of the bed.

"I'm already fine! Let's go, what are we waiting for?" he shouted, some of his old personality finally returning. The Sandaime chuckled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wow." Was all that Naruto could say when he saw the size of his parent's house. It was huge, slightly bigger than the Hyuuga compound. It wasn't really 'in' the village, but built in the forest on top of the Hokage monument. Naruto saw a dojo, hot springs and all sorts of other things that showed signs of wealth. The Sandaime stood next to the gaping boy, smirking at his reaction.

"Yes, Minato certainly did have a large sum of money. I suppose that happens when you are the Hokage." The man said. "Only members of Minato's clan can enter the compound. You will have to go in alone." Sarutobi explained. Naruto nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off the large compound. "Very well then, I have some paperwork to see to. Call me if you need anything Naruto-kun." With that, the Hokage shushined back off to do his 'paperwork'.

Naruto stood frozen for a few moments after the Hokage left.

"**Well, aren't you going to go in?" ** Kyuubi's voice jolted Naruto into action. He walked up to the gate.

"Err how am I suppose to get in?" he thought out loud. As if to answer back, the large gates suddenly swung inward.

"**It seems that the gates react to your Warp resonance." **The fox observed. Naruto continued up to the main house. Inside, was a typical Japanese house, with a large kitchen, living room and so on. Upon exploring more of the house, Naruto found nothing more than the typical wealthy house. Nothing to signify that an Eldar lived there. Naruto moved on to the back yard where he found the dojo off to one side and a large hotsprings to his left. Lush vegetation grew up and around the courtyard area.

Naruto headed to the next building. It was a library from what Naruto could gather. There were many books and scrolls on ninja techniques and forms, but once again no signs of anything nonhuman.

"Okay, just how am I supposed to.." He stopped suddenly. Something was calling him. He could feel it in his mind, beckoning for him.

"**Kid, I can feel it coming from upstairs." **Kyuubi said suddenly. Naruto ran up to the next level and froze. In the middle of the main room was a giant circle. It wasn't decorated, but it shone with swirling patters and sparkles that made Naruto think he was staring into space. It was beautiful.

"**Wraithbone." **Kyuubi explained shortly. **"From what I can tell, it's a webway gate, albeit a small one. It probably doesn't take you further than Konoha's outer forests." **Naruto walked up to the gate in awe. Reacting to his presence, the gate sprang to life, glowing and swirling with energy. Naruto took a step backwards in shock.

'_W-what the hell' _

"**Go through it kid. It's just a portal to another area. More than likely where your parents hid their true secrets." **Kyuubi commanded. Naruto gulped as he looked into the swirling gate and then took a tentative step forward.

"Well, here goes nothing." And with that said, he plunged head first into the portal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto looked around at the scene in front of him. He had stepped out of the portal and into a room made entirely out of wraithbone. Upon further inspection he realized that it wasn't just a room. There was an entire complex made out of the strange Eldar material. Naruto couldn't help but gape at the scene.

"**Hmmm interesting. It seems that Minato had planned to spend a long time on this world. A very long time." **Kyuubi murmured as he watched the scene through Naruto's mind. Naruto walked into the center of, from what Naruto could gather, was the central room. As soon as he hit the center of the room, it started to come alive. Much like the webway gate, stars and bursts of energy swirled around the vast room, all joining together in the center. Naruto covered his eyes and took a step backwards.

'_Kyuubi, what is happening?' _he thought loudly.

"**I'm** **not sure. It seems that all the energy in this room was supposed to do this." **Kyuubi suggested. Naruto was about to reply when the bursts of energy suddenly died down. Naruto looked towards the center of the room again and gasped. There was figure standing in the middle of the room.

A familiar figure.

"Y-you are…" Naruto choked out. The man raised his head and locked eyes with the young blond. He smirked.

"Hello, son."

**AN: There you go folks. My parents are being lenient with my grounding and I am now allowed to type on the weekends. Good thing it was a three day weekend or I wouldn't have gotten this out until next week. Well hope you like it, and be on the lookout for an update for "For the Greater Good".** **Alright that's all I really have to say except READ AND REVIEW! Peace out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again people! Sorry I haven't been updating my stories as quickly but school has started to hit me pretty hard. Anyways, here's the next chappy for Path of the Outcast. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Warhammer 40k. **

**Path of the Outcast**

**Chapter 2 **

Naruto strode down the almost abandoned streets of Konoha with practiced grace. Any of the civilians that passed by would promptly move away from the boy. Looks that were once filled with hate and malice were now ones of fear and distrust.

Naruto was wearing typical civilian clothes, consisting of dark blue jeans and a simple black muscle shirt with a white jacket.

'_It has been almost three years now.' _The young Eldar thought mildly.

"**Indeed it has. Though it feels like only a passing moment. It is quite interesting how fate has shaped things isn't it?" **the familiar voice of Kyuubi replied. Naruto closed his eyes and nodded. Images of the past resurfaced in a crescendo of memory.

'_Yes….it is.' _

**Flashback- Three years ago**

Naruto gaped at the figure standing before him. Minato Namikaze stood in the middle of the room, smiling sadly at the young blond.

"F-father?" Naruto stuttered out. "But you're dead!" Minato sighed and nodded.

"Well…I suppose that is one way of looking at it." His voice was soft and seemed to vibrate with some hidden energy that echoed across Naruto's thoughts. Naruto continued to stare.

"But how?" he asked. Minato gave him an unreadable look.

"I suppose explanations are in order." He said. "If you are here then Khaine-I mean 'Kyuubi' must have made contact with you." Naruto nodded. "And he must have explained things to you. What he is."

'_What you are.' _Minato sent the last part to Naruto mentally. Naruto nodded.

"Yes. It is all a lot to take in." Naruto said. He then gave a wry smile. "It's strange really. I've been beaten and hated by this village for 'not being human' and it turns out I really am not human after all." He finished bitterly. Minato scowled.

"Yes, I am once again disgusted by the sheer stupidity of these mon'kiegh." He spat the word. "And I am truly sorry for what has happened to you. There simply wasn't another way." The older Eldar said apologetically. Naruto looked down at his feet.

"I suffered a lot because of Kyuubi…..but strangely I accept it. I don't know why, but I can't bring myself to hate my situation. Only acceptance, like it was supposed to happen so that I could achieve my destiny." He said. Minato smirked.

"Yes, now that is the true child of Isha inside of you. Now then I suppose you have quite the lot of questions." Naruto nodded his head rapidly. Minato closed his eyes for a moment.

"There really isn't time to cover all of this now, the amount of information is quite a large one. Though I suspect in the future, you will be here more often." The elder said quietly.

"Well then to begin with, I will explain why I was here in the first place. I was originally from the craftworld of Zann-hai. (AN: made it up. Leave me alone!) I was a member of the Warp Spider Aspect Temple."

"Wait, aspect temple?" Naruto butted in. Minato nodded,slightly irritated.

"Yes. I won't go into maby details right now, but I was in a certain group of Eldar that could jump anywhere instantaneously." Naruto raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Oh really?" he asked somewhat skeptical. Minato grinned.

"Of course, haven't you ever heard of my title here? The Yellow Flash?" (AN: yes the reason for the Yondaim's Hirashin no jutsu is because he was a Warp Spider. Cool ne?)

Naruto shrugged. "Continue."

"Well, Zann-hai is run by a council of Eldar, each from a different Aspect Temple. (AN: Sorta like Biel-tann) I received an assignment to act as a guardian for an ancient Webway Gate that was hidden here in Konoha." Minato explained. Naruto nodded, though he was still having a little trouble keeping up with the names. "I'm sure you have heard of all the things I have done on this world so I won't even bother telling about that." He finished.

Naruto processed the information for a moment before a question arose in his mind. "Wait…what about my mother?" he asked softly. Naruto had always thought about his mother, who she might have been.

Minato's expression softened. Naruto could actually feel the dead eldar's emotions grow warmer.

"Ah yes, Kushina." He said, his emotions becoming sad. "Actually I met her on a mission. I was quite surprised to run into another elder on the border of Fire Country and Wave Country."

Naruto blinked. "A coincidence?" Minato frowned slightly.

"No, that word is all but obsolete to the elder. We are guided by fate, nothing is left to chance." He said, emitting a tone of slight annoyance this time. Naruto nodded.

"What was she like?" he asked, wanting to continue talking about his parents. Minato smiled.

"Well, what can I say? She was a very strong warrior of the Howling Banshee aspect temple. In all my centuries I never met one as skilled with a blade as her." He said appraisingly. "Anyway, your mother and I were both from Zann-hai. Actually our missions were almost exactly alike." Minato continued. Naruto raised a questioning eyebrow. "I guarded the webway gate here in Konoha, and Kushina guarded a second one. One in Uzu no Kuni(sp?)." Minato explained.

Naruto stared at him in silence for a while. The air around to two elder shifted and reflected off the wraithbone walls, giving a life all to its own. Finally Naruto spoke.

"And then?" he asked, breaking the delicate silence. Minato gave a slight nod of the head.

"She was attacked. It was a dark Eldar raid." He said simply. Naruto was once again, filled with questions. Sensing his curiosity, Minato raised a hand. "I'll explain more about the darklings at a later time. For now, I will just say that Kushina managed to escape to Konoha. Well after that, I think you can guess what happened." Now Minato smiled. Naruto paused and then blushed.

"I don't really think I want to know." He deadpanned. Minato chuckled. It was a pleasant sound, that Naruto found to be….well a little strange coming from a male. "Wait." The boy said suddenly. "Did you not have contact with the…. craftworld?" Naruto said, sliding the unfamiliar word over his tongue.

Minato tilted his head slightly. "To this day I do not know why my pleas for assistance went unanswered. I can only assume that a greater threat arose." The warp spider said thoughtfully. Naruto frowned.

"And you are not angry at being abandoned?" he scoffed. Naruto had felt that, had he been the one abandoned, he would have been more than a bit bitter. Minato, however, merely shook his head.

"Of course not. I did my job to protect the craftworld. Every action we elder make is to preserve our way of life. If I needed to be sacrificed to do so, then I am glad I died protecting Zann-hai." Minato said, a deep conviction evident in his voice.

Naruto was astounded by the fierce loyalty of his father. Naruto had always disliked and mistrusted the village of Konoha, especially since they hated him so. The idea of such loyalty was….utterly alien to the boy. The only one he could think that came close was the Sandaim Hokage.

'_And even he was not to be trusted.' _Naruto thought bitterly. Minato, sensing the boy's thoughts (literally) walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I am truly sorry for what has happened to you. I wish to make it up to you." He said. Naruto looked up at him.

"How?"

Minato blinked, silent for a moment. Finally he spoke. "Well, I can train you in the ways of our race to start." He said. Naruto looked quite pleased at that. "And of course, combat."

Now Naruto looked confused. "Why would I need to be trained? I am no warrior and I have nobody to fight for." He said. Minato turned and walked to the far side of the wraithbone chamber.

"Mostly, it is for your own sake. We elder are passionate beings, deeply delved in emotion." He raised a hand to the wall, and a door formed, hidden until now. "We thrive on our emotion and unless we have an outlet for them….well the results would be another Fall." The alien's tone was grave as he finished.

"You have the embodiment of the Bloody-handed god sealed into you, Naruto." Minato spoke, turning to face his son. "The god of war. Naturally your passion and lust for battle will be great. But it must be controlled, lest it doom us all." He motioned for Naruto to follow him through the door.

Naruto stepped forward and entered a long hallway. There were openings for doors along each side, an odd rune adorned above each space. Minato walked down the hall briskly, and Naruto had to jog to keep up.

"The Aspect temples…" Minato began to talk as he strode down the corridor. "Were created for the purpose of an outlet for our naturally violent tendencies." He explained. "If not, then our psychic signatures would attract daemons." He scowled. "And that cannot be allowed."

The deceased elder stopped suddenly, and Naruto did as well. They were now in a circular chamber, with elder runes decorating the pristine walls and ceiling. A single tablet stood in the center of the room. A small glowing orb floated in its center.

"What is that?" Naruto asked in awe. Minato walked over to the orb.

"This….is a miniature infinity circuit." He explained. "Your mother and I were too far away from Zann-hai for our souls to safely make it back to the circuit there." He said. Naruto stared at the orb.

"So….my mother is in there?" he asked softly. Minato nodded.

"Yes. It is also the reason I can speak with you now." Minato said. "Come over here, son." He waved the blond youth over. "It is time to start you down your path."

"The path of the Eldar."

-**Flashback End-**

Since then, Naruto had trained with the spirit form of his father every day for the past three years. Naruto adapted to the mannerisms of the Eldar very quickly.

He was now a calm, quiet individual with an air of confidence around him. He had also learned the basics of Eldar fighting.

Quick movements, stealth and trickery.

In a way, Naruto realized, the shinobi of this world were not much different from the the Eldar in means of combat. The young eldar had spent the last few years in different simulations of the Aspect Temples.

Since there were no other elder on the planet, Naruto had to settle for the imitations, though his father assured him they were quite close to the actual thing.

There was only one problem Naruto was facing.

All eldar spent time down each aspect temple and then found whatever suited them best. Naruto had been through most Aspect Temples, and could not find a connection in his soul to any of them.

He disliked the path of the Dire Avengers. It simply reminded him too much of a certain emo fag we all know and hate.

The Shining Spears were a noble path, but Naruto felt that all the bright and light wasn't for him.

He had tried the path of the Seer. That had been quite the failure from the beginning. Even as an eldar, Naruto just wasn't the type to rely on his mind for everything.

The Warp Spiders were, in Naruto's opinion, too uncontrolled and twitchy. Minato was slightly irritated but accepted his son's decision with a nod.

The list went on and on. The only Aspect that Naruto felt close to, was that of the Dark Reapers.

The Dark Reapers were pretty much feared and looked on with suspicion in most craftworlds, save for Ulthwe. Naruto felt an odd connection there, having been similarly treated. The Dark Reapers, like most aspects, lived for war. But unlike the others, they had a deep connection to it, and the passions of battle. Naruto had the embodiment of Khain, so a lust for battle was definitely there.

Even though he had not chosen a path, Naruto had adopted their phrase. '_War is my master, death is my mistress.' _

Minato warned Naruto that such a thing was close to taking the words in vain, but Naruto just snorted.

'Maugan Ra was an Eldar warrior, before the Dark Reapers were around. His words can be used for any who seek the bloody path.'

Minato had relented.

So now, three years had passed and Naruto was plagued by indecision. When going to his father with his troubles, the eldar had remained quiet, as if remembering something, and then had waved him off saying, "It will come to you. The path is not always clear."

Still…..

Naruto shook the thoughts from his head and turned to his destination. The Hokage Tower.

It had been a few months since Naruto had last seen the Old Man. Sarutobi was the only human that was actually aware of Naruto's activities. Though Naruto no longer trusted the man as much, he was still a big figure in Naruto's life.

So now Naruto was back. Having completed most of his training, Naruto was ready to assume his father's position in guarding the ancient Webway gate.

Naruto approached the two guards at the tower door.

"Go away demon." One spat. "The Hokage has no time for you." The other scowled and nodded.

Naruto returned the scowl.

'_I will not kill the mon'keigh. I will not kill the mon'keigh._' He chanted mentally.

"**Rend them limb from limb!" **Kyuubi yelled out in bloodlust.

'_Kyuubi, shut up.' _

Naruto took a deep breath and stared in the first guard's eyes. '_Let me past, human.' _He said mentally.

The guard gasped and backed away from Naruto shakily.

"Hiru, what is it?" the second guard turned to him.

"T-the demon, he…" he stuttered out. Both turned back to Naruto, only to find that he was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto strode through the tower with a triumphant smirk on his face.

'_I love doing that.' _He thought. He could here Kyuubi sigh in exasperation. Naruto walked up the secretary at the door to the Sandaime's office.

"Excuse me? May please see the Hokage?" he asked, mentally rolling his eyes. He knew what was coming. The secretary looked up and, seeing who it was glared.

"No, he is busy." She grated out.

"Okay then." Naruto said, walking past her and into the office, the woman's protests following him in.

The Sandaime looked up from his mountain of paperwork when Naruto entered. He smiled.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. What can I do for you?" he asked. He was worried when Naruto had started changing, his personality completely doing a U-turn, but it seems that he still in the boy's good graces, so the Hokage was thankful.

Naruto nodded in greeting. "Hey Hokage-sama. I was wondering if it would be possible to enter the shinobi force of this village." He said. The request caught Sarutobi off guard. He raised eyebrow.

"Why would you want to serve here? Especially with the knowledge of your..er- well you know." He asked in confusion. Naruto smiled.

"I want to continue my father's duty in this village." He said simply. Sarutobi thought for a moment.

It wouldn't hurt.

"Okay, Naruto. I can sign you up for the Academy tomorrow-"

"No." Naruto butted in abruptly. Sarutobi looked at him in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"I won't go to some academy filled with snot nosed, humans." Naruto said distastefully. Sarutobi frowned.

"Naruto, you have to join the academy if you wish to be a shinobi of Konoha." He said firmly. Naruto was adamant.

"No! I don't care. My skills can be of great value to you as a shinobi. My training is complete and I refuse to just sit around learning useless facts when I could be fighting." He said, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Naruto longed for battle. It was only natural for an eldar, albeit one with Khain sealed inside them, and he would be damned if he was forced to miss out on battle just for the sake of procedure.

The Hokage and Naruto locked eyes for a long moment before Sarutobi gave in.

"Very well. Report back here in two days and I will assess your skill level. It will be decided then." He said with a tone of finality. The conversation was over. Naruto nodded and left the office, getting a glare from the secretary as he went.

'_Soon, soon I can fight.' _Naruto thought with relish. Kyuubi growled in excitement as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto stepped through the webway portal, back into the room where he had first met his father. The room still shone with the same brilliance as when he had first laid eyes upon its alien beauty.

Minato stood waiting for him.

"Welcome back, son." He said. Naruto nodded in greeting. "The time has come." His father continued. "You have experienced all the Aspect Temples of war. Even with such accelerated teaching, you have progressed far." His father said with pride in his voice.

"Now it is time to finish." Naruto completed the thought. Minato nodded.

"Yes. It is time to choose which path you will take. The blood of warriors runs in your veins and now you must embrace your destiny."

Naruto exhaled slowly. This was the part he was dreading. Naruto still was undecided on his path. He was seriously giving thought to the path of the Dark Reaper, but something in his soul kept him from doing so.

Minato sensed his doubt and frowned. "What troubles you?"

"I……I do not feel inclined to choose any of the paths, father." Naruto blurted out. 'I have tried to, but my soul does not connect with any of these ways. I am sorry." Naruto bowed his head in sorrow. He was sure that his father would be displeased with him.

Minato, however, simply stayed quiet. He was mulling over a growing idea. "Son…..come here." He said. Naruto looked up in confusion and saw his father waving him to a small shelf.

He pulled forth a small book and held out for Naruto. "Your path may not lie in the temples, but it is still open to you."

Naruto gingerly took the tome and opened the front. He skimmed the first page, taking in the old Eldar text quickly.

He looked up in slight confusion.

"The….ranger?" he asked. Minato nodded and turned away.

"Yes, read and learn my son. This task is for you, so I will make my leave." He said. Minato walked back into the room with the small soul circuit and the door closed automatically.

Naruto stared after him for a moment then back down at the book. Curiosity took over and Naruto spent the better part of the next hour reading its contents.

When he had finished, a look of enlightenment marked his face. It all seemed so clear now. He was not the first to face his problem. Many eldar became outcasts, protecting their homes from afar.

Outcast.

Naruto supposed the word would describe him. An eldar that had never even seen his own craftworld. One who did not truly know his race's power.

Yes, outcast fit Naruto perfectly.

A light turned on inside of him and a feeling unlike any that the boy had ever felt swept over him.

"This is what I am meant to do. To be." He said quietly. Kyuubi remained silent.

"To guard my home from the shadows." He set the book down.

"Ever vigilant. The path of the Ranger." Naruto looked up with a fierce determination in his large eyes.

"The path of the outcast."

**AN: Here you go folks! Not much action but the basics are in place now. I think rangers are kick-ass so I had to make that the chosen path. Well I hope you enjoy the chapter, remember to review the story! **

**Have a Merry Christmas! **

**-The HiddenAssassin**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo mah readers! Yeah its been a little while. School is back up again so I have less time to type. Well anyways, I figured I'd write the next chapter for this story because……I feel like it. Quick question, I plan on updating Cold as Death next, but which story do you think I should update after that? **

**I'll leave it up to you guys. **

**T3Ko: Yes I plan on having him use the phrase for a long time. Just kinda gives a sort of variety to his character. **

**Dusk Raider: Yes I plan on having Naruto get eldar equipment and armor (in this chapter actually) **

**Fallen-Ryu: I was thinking of kinda doing both. Yes he will kinda be a sniper, but coupled with the fact that he is in a ninja inhabited world, a blade would be good idea. As for the other shards, Kyuubi is the only sentient one (maybe?) **

**And without further delay…..on with the story!**

**Path of the Outcast**

**Chapter 4**

Naruto spent hours absorbing the knowledge and ways of the ranger. Vanishing without a trace, leaving no signs of your presence. Striking enemies from afar. Naruto found that he was eager to embrace these teachings. Though he had become proficient in almost all eldar weaponry, Naruto still had to spend time practicing with the sniper rifle for hours on end.

'_I will improve.' _Naruto told himself with fierce conviction. He had a path, a destiny now. Nothing would stop him from this.

The blond eldar discovered the ranger cameleoline cloak, and needless to say loved the idea of being completely invisible.

"Naruto." The boy looked up at the astral image of his father. "It is time."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood at the training grounds with five people. Four were easily distinguished as jounin, while the fourth was shrouded in the cloak and mask of an ANBU.

Sarutobi had brought Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenei, Gai and Yamato with him to assess Naruto. He figured that experienced shinobi would be able to examine the boy well. The Hokage had specifically picked the four jounin that were scheduled for teams in the future. As for Yamato, he actually asked to watch.

"The Uzumaki boy is interesting." The cat masked ANBU had said simply when asked why. Sarutobi squinted and noticed a lone figure walking towards the ninja group. It took the Hokage a moment to realize that it was Naruto striding towards them.

No longer was the boy wearing simple civilian clothes. Now he wore a body suit of Zann-hai guardian armor, black paint and blue trim glistening in the light elegantly. Over that he wore a long grey coat of some sort. From what Sarutobi could tell, it had a few strange metal plates attacked at various spots. A black scarf was tightly wrapped around the lower half of the boy's face. The hood of the coat was pulled up, leaving the boy's face barely visible. A strange tube device was attacked to his back, and a shorter version clipped to his waist.

He looked like a true eldar.

Wordlessly, the young ranger walked up to Sarutobi and nodded. The other shinobi cast a critical at the boy's choice of weapons and clothes.

"Hokage-sama." Hatake Kakashi spoke up. "You can't really expect the boy to fight like that?" he nodded towards the cloak and metal tube…thing. "It is unbecoming of a shinobi.

'_I will wear what I wish, Hatake.' _Naruto locked eyes with the cyclops and mentally whispered the words. Kakashi struggled to hold back a gasp.

"Wh-what the-"

"Naruto-kun may do as he wishes in this exam." Sarutobi interjected, mentally sighing. He could already feel the headache this boy was going to cause. The other jounin looked at Kakashi curiously.

"What's wrong Kakashi?" Asuma asked. The white-haired ninja shook his head.

"Nothing, nothing. Please continue." He said waving a hand. He gave Naruto a long stare then focused back on the Hokage. Sarutobi cleared his throat.

"Alright then, Naruto-kun. To test your ablilities in joining our shinobi ranks, you will be fighting Kakashi here." He said. Naruto nodded mutely. Kakashi gave the kage an unreadable look but stepped forward, facing Naruto.

Sarutobi and the others stepped off to the side, clearing a ring for the two combatants.

"You may begin when ready." Sarutobi said.

Kakashi and Naruto stared at each other for a moment, before Kakashi spoke.

"I don't know what you did, brat, but there is no way you can hope to beat me." He said, a hint of arrogance tinged into his voice. For once, Naruto's emotionless mask broke, displaying a small humorless grin.

'_We shall see, Hatake Kakashi.' _

Kakashi's eyes widened a fraction, and he quickly whipped out three kunai, throwing them at the boy with impressive speed. The other jounin winced slightly. Kakshi was going all out for some reason. There was no way the kid could…

Naruto dodged all three knives fluidly and landed back in his original position, looking as if he had never moved at all.

Kakashi disappeared and was suddenly right in front of Naruto. He brought up his knee to slam into the boy, only to find his target gone. He looked around quickly. Naruto danced out of range, a calm expression still on his face.

'_Is that all.' _This time he pushed the thoughts into everyone present, eliciting gasps from the audience. A small smirk found its way onto Naruto's face. Playing with the humans' minds was starting to really become fun.

"**Stop playing around and fight!" **Kyuubi yelled within him. **"I want blood!" **

Naruto frowned. He knew it was only a spar, but he felt the tug deep inside of him. The call for battle and blood. The whisper (or rather shout) of Kai Mensha Khaine trickling into his soul. Naruto took a deep breath and calmed himself.

His eyes widened in surprise when Kakashi was in front of him again, catching the eldar off guard. Kakshi punched the boy in the gut, sending him flying into a tree. Kurenai and Asuma winced.

Naruto stood up shakily, a look of offended rage on his face.

"Forget the rules." He muttered out loud. He reached down to his belt and pulled out his shurikan pistol. Kakashi didn't seem to notice and started forming handsigns.

**Katon: ** **Houdenka no jutsu!**

Small fireballs shot out at the blond-haired boy at a rapid pace. Naruto, surprising everyone present, ran straight at the fire. He twisted through the air, dodging the deadly flames by centimeters, in a deadly graceful move. He landed softly and pointed the small gun at Kakashi.

Sarutobi suddenly sensed what the boy was about to do, having spent some time with Minato and somewhat knowledgeable in the weapons of eldar. "No Naruto, don't!" he shouted.

At the last moment, the shout caused Naruto to adjust his aim, shooting at Kakashi's shoulder instead of his head. Shards shot out of the gun, hissing like an angry swarm as they flashed through the air.

Kakashi gasped as his shoulder exploded in pain. He clutched at the wound, his hand coming away bloody. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

What weapon could hurt him from so far away? And at that speed?

The other jounin were having similar thoughts. "Dad," Asuma said. "What the hell was that?" he asked the question everyone was thinking. Sarutobi sighed.

"That is Naruto's lineage." He said simply. The jounin, and ANBU behind his mask, frowned at the vague answer.

"But the way he moves." Gai said, for once not loud and boisterous. "I have never seen a taijutsu style such as that. He moves too gracefully for humanly possible."

The Hokage smiled inwardly. How right he was.

"The boy." The ANBU spoke up finally. "He is gone." Sure enough, when the shinobi turned back to the match, Naruto had vanished, leaving a bewildered (and somewhat humiliated) Kakashi looking around frantically, all the while clutching his shredded shoulder. Kurenai frowned.

" I don't sense any genjutsu." She said. Sarutobi nodded. He was certain the boy had something up his sleeve.

Sure enough, a soft voice called out from some nearby trees. "Surrender, Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi whirled around and threw a kunai at the direction of the voice. A brief silence, and then another call, from the other side of the clearing.

"Very well. I will try not to kill him Hokage-sama."

A small hiss was heard, and then a cry of pain. Kakashi clutched his leg, which was now bleeding profusely. Sarutobi frowned.

What was going on? Sarutobi could sense Naruto's presence and the boy should have been visible, on the other side of the field. But he wasn't.

The hokage just chalked it up to 'Another crazy-ass thing about aliens.'. his attention was brought to the match with another sharp hiss.

Kakashi's right hand exploded in blood, causing the man to give a strangled cry. The jounin watched, stunned.

"He is injuring one of our strongest shinobi easily." Asuma muttered.

"And I doubt he has shown us all he can do." Yamato spoke up again. Sarutobi nodded. He had seen Minato fight. The man was nothing short of amazing. If this was what Naruto was learning….Sarutobi was shocked that he felt a small amount of fear deep inside of him.

"Okay that is enough, Naruto." The Hokage said, causing all to stop and look at him. The hokage turned to Yamato. "Summon a medic-nin to care for Kakashi's wounds." The ANBU bowed and shushined away.

"Naruto?" Sarutobi called out, scanning the field for the boy.

"Yes?"

Sarutobi nearly lept out of his skin when the boy was suddenly next to him. Gai jumped into Kurenai's arms in a comic fashion and Asuma's jaw dropped, losing his cigarette. Kakashi just moaned in pain.

Naruto just stood there motionlessly. The kage regained his composure.

"That was…..very interesting Naruto-kun." He said uncertainly. Asuma could only manage a nod. Kurenai dropped Gai, who promptly jumped up shouting.

"YOSH! THAT WAS TRULY A DISPLAY OF SKILL NARUTO-KUN! THOUGH YOU HAVE INJURED MY RIVAL, YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH STILL BURN BRIGHTLY!"

Naruto stared at the heavily eye-browed man. '_By Eldaanesh. What is he?' _

"**For once….I am as stumped as you young one. Mon-keigh truly are more bizarre that I thought." **Kyuubi said in the eldar's mind.

Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Well anyway, thank you for attending, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, you are dismissed."

The three bowed and jumped away, no doubt going to spread the word to their friends of the strange boy with unique powers. A moment later, Yamato showed up with three medic-nin who carried an injured Kakashi away.

"Well, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked. The man in question nodded.

"Well Naruto-kun, I am impressed. I will grant you a rank in our shinobi." He said. A ghost of a smile flickered on the boy's face. "There is just one issue." Sarutobi continued. "As it stands….I am not quite sure which rank you would best fit in." he explained.

Naruto frowned.

"You have power enough for at LEAST chunnin. But your skills seem to be more suited to a….lone role." The hokage struggled to put words to his description. Naruto inwardly smiled at the sense of irony in the statement.

'I am thinking of instating you as a special hunter-nin." Sarutobi continued. "But…the main issue is your…..unique disposition." The kage tried to say it as eloquently as possible. "The council is already against you Naruto-kun. Many hate and fear you for Kyuubi."

"**As they should." **Kyuubi rumbled inside Naruto. The eldar sighed. Of course, once again the people of this village stood in the way of his goals and life.

"And no doubt they would try to get you killed on suicide missions." Sarutobi continued. He stopped and turned, starring hard at the Hokage Tower in the distance. He frowned, deep in thought.

"I have let them cross too many boundaries." He muttered. "It could work." He told himself. Naruto cocked his head curiously. For a moment he thought the old man had finally gone senile, when Hiruzen turned back to face him.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He said, a strange edge to his voice that made Naruto straighten unconsciously. "From this point on, you are a shinobi of Konohagakure. You will serve this village from the shadows, as my own, personal hunter-nin and assassin."

Naruto stared at the Hokage for a moment, surprised. Personal hunter-nin? It sounded perfect. He could answer only to the Hokage (though he probably would have anyway). Finally he found his voice.

"I…I accept Hokage-sama." He said. Sarutobi nodded.

"Good. Report in my office tomorrow morning for your first assignment." He said. The Hokage turned to leave.

"Hey," he stopped and turned to Naruto, who had spoken. The boy was so excited he decided to forget eldar manners. "Thanks, Old Man." He said grinning under his scarf. He turned and ran off into the forest, intent on getting more training in for his new job.

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched him go, a warm smile on his face. Yes, he decided, staring up to the setting sun. Konoha was about to be an interesting place once more.

**AN:) Cut and scene! Ok folks there ya go. I just had to get the fight out there before I move on to Cold as Death. Sure it wasn't much, but it's a start. Well hope you like it and by the bloody hand of Khaine REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-TheHiddenAssassin**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm baaaaaack. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is…this isn't a Cold as Death update. The GOOD news is it is now officially summer break and I have passed all my classes, which means I finally have some real time to focus on writing! Lucky you! I should be churning out at LEAST one update a week. Well here's the next chapter for Path of the Outcast. Yay……okay then. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Warhammer 40k**

* * *

Path of the Outcast

Chapter 5

Hizari Taru downed yet another drink with gusto, soaking up the atmosphere of the crowded, dimly lit bar. The night was young and Taru intended to enjoy it to its fullest. After all, after that last job he deserved a little break.

Taru was an ex-jounin from Konohagakure. Had been for nearly six years now. Hunter-nins had never caught him, despite the fact that Taru still lived in Fire Country after his defection. Heck, they hadn't come even close. Taru was good at covering his trail. It was a sort of game for him, avoiding the shinobi and still enjoying a life in Fire Country. A game he had never lost.

Never intended to either.

Taru grinned as the bar girl brought him another drink. The 'Rusted Shuriken; was one of the more popular bars in town, getting plenty of customers from travelers heading to the nearby village of Konoha. Taru held no worries about being hunted down, even so close to Konoha. He was good at his job. When he had defected (after all, he needed better pay than what Konoha offered) he had been a candidate for ANBU.

Out of sheer habit, his eyes began to wander the bar, taking in each face, each detail. All was normal. Just the normal sites and people having a good tim-

Wait…

Taru froze and stared at the far corner of the bar. There sat a single solitary figure, face covered by the shadows and a heavy hooded cloak. And he was staring right at Taru.

Taru quickly averted his gaze. His danger senses were going wild, but he didn't have a clue why? The man looked young, barely older than a kid! Why did Taru feel such fear?

Instinct took over and Taru quickly slapped some money down on the table. He stood to leave, casting a quick glance at the hooded man before being swallowed up by the crowd.

It was night out when Taru exited the bar. There were few people left on the streets. Taru quickly walked down the street and headed off into a small alleyway. He quickly hid his chakra signature using years of experience and then threw up a henge.

That should be able to fool any rookie from the Hunter-nin corps. But just to be safe…

Taru exited the other side of the alley and began dashing across the rooftops, fueling chakra into his feet. After a good five minutes of running he stopped and landed down in the street. This one was abandoned completely. "If I can just make it to my apartment…" he muttered. He had to get out of town now. One of the reasons Taru hadn't been caught was his habit to bang out of town at the first sign of trouble.

It had worked well so far.

'_Where are you going, Taru?' _

Taru froze. The words drifted into his mind unbidden. It took the jounin a moment to process the fact that he hadn't thought those words. He turned slowly and looked back into the alley.

It was empty.

Thoroughly spooked, the man began to walk away. "What the hell?" he muttered to himself. "Maybe I need a vacation." He grumbled as he began to head down the street. He suddenly felt a presence behind him. Years as a shinobi gave him allowed him to feel the presence of others, and he turned slowly. He froze in shock.

The man, the very same one from the bar, was standing in the street behind him, face still hidden by his hood. Taru felt his body react. He automatically reached for a kunai that he had hidden on him at all times. "Who are you?" he asked with as much bravado as he could muster. He somehow found himself completely afraid of the strange man. How had he been followed so easily?

The hooded hunter-nin said nothing, and simply withdrew a strange hand-held object. It was no weapon Taru had ever seen before, and he relaxed a bit. "Well?"

'_I'm here for you, Taru.' _

Before Taru could react, the man raised the device and pulled the trigger. A burst of strangely bright shrapnel shot out and struck Taru in the chest. The man gasped. It like he had been punched in the stomach, very hard. He stared at the man in confusion, then down at himself.

To his shock, there was blood pouring out of his chest. "Wha-?" was all he managed before he fell over backwards. Taru stared up into the night sky, his mind a mixture of shock, confusion and pain. How had this happened?

The hooded man walked over to Taru and raised the device again. Taru stared up at him and for the first time, saw the man's eyes, and how small the man really was. "Just a kid.." he choked out. The hunter-nin wordlessly aimed at his head and fired.

* * *

Naruto sighed and put away his pistol, back in his holster . He was still getting used to hunting down these missing-nin. It had only been a month or two since the Hokage had made him a hunter-nin.

"**Another good kill." **Kyuubi spoke up. Naruto nodded apathetically. He was getting efficient at this. Sure the killing part was hard to swallow at first…but having eldar blood flowing fiercely through your veins, thrilling at the thought of combat was something else. **"But do not let that feeling consume you, young one." **Kyuubi had warned him. **"Such things are what brought about the Great Enemy and the darklings." **

And so Naruto made sure to meditate after every hunt. Surprisingly it helped quite a bit. Naruto withdrew a small curved knife and cut off the head of the missing-nin Taru.

'_Time to head home.' _

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the young eldar before him with a mixture of pride and amazement. In such a short time the boy had become an excellent hunter-nin.

"Thank you Naruto. Your usual pay has been transferred." He said. Naruto nodded silently and left. Sarutobi sighed and took a long puff from his pipe. That boy would do great things. And there wasno way the council could touch him as of now. The Hokage felt himself smirk at that small victory. They still had no clue that Naruto was even a shinobi, and of that Sarutobi was thankful. He could rest easy for a few more years.

He looked back down at the ever-growing pile of paperwork on his desk and groan. _'So much for resting easy…' _

* * *

Naruto left the Hokage Tower, still robed and armored. Many people avoided him as he walked along. Just as well, the boy thought. They would do far worse if they knew who he was.

He headed back to his family compound and the hidden room through the webway portal. When he stepped through into the large wraithbone room, he saw his father waiting for him. Naruto frownec lightly as he pulled back his hood. That was odd, usually Naruto arrived and only then did Minato appear. Minato smiled sadly at his son.

"Naruto." He said the words aloud. Now Naruto knew something was wrong. Physically speaking was something his father barely resorted to.

'_What is it, father?' _he thought, trying to disguise any worry that he might portray in his thoughts. Minato seemed to pause for a moment, unsure how to explain.

"It has been three years now. Your progress has been astounding, even by the standards of our people." There was undisguised pride in his voice. "And your position in this village is more than I could have hoped for." Now the sadness returned. "And…you no longer need me to guide you, son." He finally said, forcing the words out.

There was silence in the room. Naruto stared at his father in confusion and growing fear. "What do you mean?" he asked, forgoing mental speech. Minato closed his eyes for a long moment, before opening them again in determination.

"Naruto, when I modified my own soul stone to project myself to you, it was not a permanent modification." He revealed, making Naruto freeze. Naruto felt mixed feelings of surprise, anxiety and fear as he began to realize what his father was saying. Kyuubi stayed silent throught the whole ordeal.

"What do you mean?"

"I designed it as so that when you no longer needed me, I would return to my stone." Minato said. Naruto stared at him. No, that couldn't be what he thought.."My time is up." Minato said, regret lining his voice. "I'm sorry son."

Even as he spoke, Naruto could see his father growing fainter and more transparent. He couldn't move, or breath, only try and focus his mind. His father was leaving him, again!

"NO!" Naruto managed to cry. Minato smiled sadly as he faded away. "Your mother and I always loved you, son." He said. He was barely visible now. "Keep moving forward on the Path. Bring honor to our people." Naruto found he could move again and rushed over to his fading father. Right as he reached him, Minato disappeared from existence, leaving Naruto alone in the large room.

Naruto sank to the floor on his knees, staring straight ahead. He couldn't think, his mind a spinning torrent of confusion and pain. He had finally gotten a semblance of family…and it was gone. **  
**

"**Naruto…" **Kyuubi said softly. Naruto ignored him, staring at the floor. After a long moment he stood again, pulling the hood back over his face.

"Kyuubi…Minato is still in that stone in the other room, correct?" he asked, assuming the 'all-knowing eldar' tone. Kyuubi nodded, though it wasn't seen.

"**Yes.." **

"Good…then I still have a job to do. Like he said, I still must walk the Path." He said, regaining some confidence. Kyuubi silently smirked. This boy would greatly impact the future of this world, of that, Kyuubi was certain.

**AN:) Well, done for now. To be honest this was kinda painful to write out since it's really nothing more than a filler…and a short one at that. But there was nothing else really to put. Another time skip for the next chapter and we're all caught up to the cannon Naruto series. That's where the fun begins! Well until next time, **

**-THeHiddenAssassin**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the next update! **

**Blah blah blah disclaimers….**

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* * *

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Path of the Outcast

Chapter 6

**-one year later- **

Naruto loved his job. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt that always accompanied his work, tracking down and inevitably killing whoever the Hokage ordered his to. He lived for it. But even he got tired, and right now, he was almost dead on his feet. So it was easy to say he was rather irritated when, after just arriving back in Konoha from a long hunt on the border of Fire Country, he was immediately summoned to the Sandaime's office for yet another assignment.

The ANBU with the message hadn't actually said he was summoned for another mission, but Naruto knew the Old man well enough to guess. The Sandaime only ever summoned him for missions, otherwise leaving it up to the young eldar to report on his own. Which Naruto always did, but still; the level of trust between the two was built on as much necessity as friendship. Naruto technically was not a ninja of Konoha, but of the Sandaime. As such, he tended to…bend the rules a bit, when it came to shinobi procedure. But regardless, he always reported to the Old Man on his own, and if the Sandaime needed him, Naruto wouldn't complain aloud.

…Which didn't mean he didn't mentally complain…

'_Can the Old Man at least allow me time to meditate?' _the young eldar mentally grumbled as he jumped across the rooftops of Konoha. _'I mean, by Isha, I literally JUST got back. I may not be human, but that doesn't mean I'm a machine.' _

'**Quit complaining. At least the Old Mon'keigh provides us with good fighting. That last man was remarkably skilled. It was a glorious fight.' **

'_That it was.' _ Naruto conceded to his prisoner. He quickly arrived at the Hokage Tower and swept past the guards without a word. The two jounin stood at the doors let him pass without protest. As time passed, the shinobi of Konoha –or at least, those aware of his existence- simply allowed Naruto to do what he pleased. Seeing as he was favored by the Sandaime, there was little they could do against him. And there had been, in the beginning. Many protested having an unknown shinobi in the ranks who seemed to simply do as he pleased. But as time passed and Naruto's work increased, such protests faded away. Even the most adamant of protesters couldn't deny his efficiency and diligence.

Mentally the boy smirked. He wondered how the shinobi of Konoha would react if they knew he was the Kyuubi container. The only shinobi of Konoha who knew who he was were those that had been at his examination, and they were sworn to secrecy. Though Naruto suspected Kakashi only did so reluctantly. Ever since last year, it was as though Naruto Uzumaki had disappeared from the face of the earth, only rarely coming out of his family compound for the occasional trip to Ichiraku –old habits die hard- and for missions. Naruto had no desire to be amongst the people of Konoha. The only reason he deigned to be in their presence at all was for the Sandaime and to protect that which was hidden within Konoha- the ancient Webway Gate of Konoha.

Naruto arrived on the floor of the Hokage's office and stepped into the waiting room. The secretary –oh how he still disdained that old woman- waved him through wordlessly. Naruto sent a wordless sneer in her direction – though she couldn't see it through his hood and scarf- and stepped inside.

The Hokage was not alone in his office. Standing before the man were four people, three genin and a jounin. Naruto recognized Asuma Sarutobi, and the man gave him a wordless nod as he entered. The three genin looked at Naruto in confusion. "Ah, welcome." The Sandaime smiled at Naruto. "Thank you for coming so quickly Naruto-kun. And I am sorry for summoning you so quickly after you just got back." He said apologetically. The eldar waved him off.

"Of course, Hokage-sama. I live to serve." '_Though I expect a trip to Ichirakus after this is over.' _He sent mentally. The Hokage chuckled and nodded. Again the genin looked confused.

"Hokage-sama, who is this?" One asked. Naruto glanced at the speaker. She looked to be around his age, with pale blond hair and violet eyes. She was quite cute, the boy noted, and a bit familiar, somehow.

"Ino-chan, this is Naruto Uzumaki." Sarutobi introduced. "One of my most reliable shinobi."

"But he doesn't look any older than us!" The girl protested. The boy beside her, a lazy looking guy with a pineapple haircut groaned.

"You're so troublesome, Ino. Just let the Hokage explain this to us." Ino rounded on her teammate, but Asuma stepped in.

"Guys, calm down and let the man continue." He said, sighing in exasperation. The Hokage coughed lightly.

"RIgh then. As I was saying, this is Naruto Uzumaki, one of my hunter-nin." The man deliberately said 'my', something only Asuma seemed to catch, though the man brushed it off. "And Naruto-kun, this is Team Ten, one of this year's graduating genin teams." Naruto nodded to the team.

" A pleasure." He said smoothly. Ino stared at him suspiciously which Naruto ignored. Asuma coughed.

"Right well, you already know me. This is Yamanaka Ino, Akamichi Chouji and Nara Shikimaru." The man introduced each. Naruto scanned each, weighing the team.

"They don't look like much." He said after a minute, ignoring Ino's squawk of outrage. "Hokage-sama, why have I been called here?" Sarutobi cleared his throat, trying hide his amusement. Naruto, for all his talents, wasn't a 'people person'.

"A week ago I sent Team Seven on an escort mission to the land of Waves, to protect a man named Tazuna. Recently, I received word that complications have arisen. Events have arisen and Team Seven is requesting backup."

"What? Saskue-kun's team is in trouble?" Ino asked/shouted, making Naruto wince at the volume. Honestly, couldn't the girl be a bit quieter?

"So we're supporting Kakashi's team? What can we be expecting to face?" Asuma asked, frowning.

'_Oh great, it had to be Kakashi's team.' _Mentally Naruto groaned. He and the jounin had been on less than friendly terms since Naruto's examination. Not that Naruto could blame the man. Having a child beat a supposed elite jounin had to be a severe pride injury. But the man didn't have to be so haughty about it, every damn time the two of them met.

"Kakashi reported two attacks by missing nin, the first by two chuunin level nin and later by a jounin, known as Zabuza Momochi." Sarutobi looked at the report again. Naruto had heard of Zabuza. He would have loved o hunt such a man, but sadly he could only slay those of Konoha's jurisdiction.

"An A-class missing-nin?" Asuma sounded incredulous. "And you think sending another genin team will help against these odds? From what this report says, Kakashi is in no condition to fight. Dad, I don't think we could handle this."

"I know. That is why Naruto-kun is going with you. He will be there to intervene if such a need arises. Our forces are stretched thin at the moment and another genin team is all I can risk sending at this time. Your task is to simply link up with Team Seven and provide support. "

Again, Team Ten looked at Naruto. He simply nodded in acceptance, though inwardly he was thinking. This was certainly outside his usual job description. The Hokage must have a different reason for picking him for this. Asuma sighed and took a long drag on his cigarette. He nodded. "Alright, mission accepted."

The lazy boy, Shikimaru, sighed and muttered 'troublesome', while Chouki simply munched away on his bag of chips. Ino, on the other hand, looked worried. Could they handle this level of mission? She would certainly never admit to weakness, but they were still fresh out of the Academy, and they were being sent on something like this? No, if it was for Sasuke-kun, she would do it! Besides, maybe the boy would see how well she performed and finally admit his love for her! Ino looked at her team and then again glanced over at the hooded boy, Uzumaki. What was his deal? From his size and the sound of his voice, this Naruto couldn't be any older than her or the other genin. Why was he considered by the Hokage to be so strong? Just who was this guy? He was way too suspicious. '_Oh I'll definitely be watching this guy.'_

"You will depart immediately. I need you to leave within the day." The Hokage said. Asuma nodded.

"Right. Team, go home and gather whatever you need. Remember to pack light, and Chouji? Remember to go easy on packing the snacks." The hefty boy pouted slightly but nodded. Team Ten left to get prepared.

"Naruto-kun, stay for a moment." The Hokage beckoned him.

"Finally going to tell me the rest of this assignment?"

"Astute as ever. Yes. I didn't want to let Team Ten overhear, but I do have another reason for sending you. Kakashi has reported that the man who hired these missing-nin, a man named Gato, holds a monopoly over Wave, driving the country into poverty. With him gone, Wave would be able to open trade with the rest of the world."

"And Konoha." Naruto finished. "You need me to kill Gato."

"Yes. I also want you to secure whatever assets you can. Don't go out of your way for it, but whatever you bring back would be helpful to our economy." The Hokage explained, watching the boy behind folded hands. Naruto betrayed no emotion, simply nodding.

"As you wish."

"Then that is all. Good luck."

* * *

It took another three hours for Team Ten to get organized and meet at the gates. Naruto watched them approach, cloaked in his cameoline cloak. He would reveal himself, eventually. But for now he wanted to assess this team properly. He knew about Asuma already. The man was, while a bit too laidback, a good shinobi. Naruto had no doubt about the man's abilities. But the genin on the other hand….

The first to arrive was Ino, closely followed by Shikimaru. The two appeared to be in a rather heated argument. "Honestly, can't you at least TRY to show a little enthusiasm?" Ino asked with a scowl. Shikimaru only yawned in response.

"Why? So that we can go and rescue your precious Sasuke? This is such a pain." The lazy boy complained. Ino let out a cry of disgust.

"That's your problem, you lazy ass! You don't care about anything! And for your information, Sasuke-kun is ten times better than you'll ever be, and you should be grateful that he wants our help!" Again, Shikimaru just yawned. Naruto felt the urge to smack himself. So far this team was far from impressing him. Naruto heard Chouji before he saw him; the boy's eldar senses picking up the loud _*clomp* *clomp* _of the Akamichi's chewing even before the boy came into sight. Naruto sighed as the fat boy finally joined his teammates. Somehow he didn't expect much from this one either.

"Alright, you're all here." Asuma appeared, shunshin-ing to the gate. He eyed his team critically. "Now we just need to wait for Naruto-san."

"I am here." Naruto disabled his cloaking, deciding the game was over. Ino let out a shriek of surprise, practically jumping.

"What the hell!" She pointed at the blond eldar accusingly. "Were you there the entire time?"

"Yes."

"Well…why?"

"I see no reason to explain. Now let's go. We have a mission to complete." Naruto stepped passed her towards the gate. Behind him, Ino yelled in anger. Naruto let a small smile cross his features. Messing with this one was…fun.

* * *

Evening came quickly, making the five shinobi stop to set up camp in the woods. "We could simply travel through the night." Naruto offred, but that idea was quickly shot down by Ino.

"No way in hell! I need my beauty sleep." Naruto shrugged and helped make camp. An hour later they had a small fire going, as the sun set, leaving the woods of Konoha in darkness. Naruto stayed a bit away from the fire, leaning against a tree trunk. He watched Team Ten eat, his features hidden beneath the shadow of his hood. He had to admit, that Akamichi could really put food away. As to be expected from one of his clan. Yamanaka, on the other hand, refused to eat more than a minimal amount of rations.

"I'm on a diet." She explained. "I need to look my best as a kunoichi."

"Do you even know what that name means?" Naruto asked suddenly. Everyone stopped eating and looked at the boy. Ino blinked curiously.

"Yeah. It means a female shinobi-"

"Yes." Naruto said flatly. "A female SHINOBI. I don't know about the Academy, but you're a ninja now, Yamanaka-san. Act like it. 'Watching your figure' and stuff like that is for civilians. Wake up and accept reality." He rebuked, perhaps a little more forcefully than he intended. Ino looked startled, then slightly offended. She 'humphed' and turned away, though Naruto noted that she did indeed began eating.

There was a long silence. Finally Chouji spoke. "So..Naruto-san?"

"Yes?"

"You're a hunter-nin right? Don't you guys go around killing missing-nin and stuff?'

"That is correct, Akamichi-san." Naruto said wearily. Honestly, he didn't feel like playing the question game after going almost two days without rest. "Is there a point to this?"

"Well…you don't really look that much older than us." Chouji said hesitantly. "But you're an elite shinobi. Just how old are you?" The other genin nodded while Asuma simply watched, smoking quietly.

"I am around the same age as you all." Naruto answered honestly. There were gasps of surprise from all three genin.

"What?" Ino all but yelled. "But..but..how? How could someone our age be a Hunter-nin? You can't be THAT strong, can you?" _'Only Sasuke-kun is worthy of that!' _"So how?"

"Because I'm just better than all of you, mon'keigh." Naruto said, now more than a little irritated. Ino blinked, unsure if that was an insult, and then, pretty sure that it was, scowled.

"Well excuse me!" She snapped. She stood and walked over to her sleeping bag. "I'm going to bed." With that the blond girl layed down and ignored the others. Naruto looked on in amusement as Asuma sighed wearily.

"I'll take first shift." He offered. "Naruto-san, will you take second?"

"Of course." The eldar said.

"Right. Then, Shikimaru, you can go after him, and Chouji can go last." With that said, the genin went to bed, and Asuma stood guard over the makeshift camp. Naruto didn't sleep on a pack, instead content to lean against the tree and doze. After three hours, Asuma woke the boy, for his shift.

The time passed, thankfully, in silence. Naruto stared at the dying embers of the fire, every now and then prodding it then with a stick. His mind wandered, confident that he could sense anyone long before they reached the camp. _'I really don't ever want to do missions with a genin team ever again, I think.' _He mused. _'If they're all like this. If so, it's no wonder Kakashi ran into problems in Wave.' _Another thought occurred to him then. Wave Country was near the Uzi no Kuni, where his mother had been assigned. He briefly considered scouting the place while he was there. _'Only if time permits.' _After another rthree hours of silence Naruto heard someone sit down beside him. _'Shikimaru'_

"It's my shift." The boy said, yawning. Naruto nodded.

"I will stay awake for a while longer. Don't think I will be able to sleep much anyway," Shikimaru nodded, and the two lapsed into silence. Eventually, Naruto felt the other boy's eyes on him, calculatingly.

"There's something that's been bugging me." Shikimaru said.

"Oh?"

"Aside from that fact that you don't look like any shinobi I've ever seen or heard of, you're supposed to be a hunter-nin. Why would the Hokage send you on a support mission like this?" The boy questioned.

"Like he said. I was the only one available." Naruto replied. Shikimaru snorted.

"I highly doubt that. If normal forces are stretched thin, then hunter-nin forces would be in even less supply, used for even higher missions. And yet you're here. The Hokage wants you to do something else in Wave, doesn't he?" The Nara asked pointedly. Naruto smirked.

"You're very intelligent Nara-san. A lot more so than you let on."

"Well, I'm sure there is a lot about you that you don't let on about." The boy shot back. _'Oh how right you are.' _

"To answer your question, even if that were the case, I could not tell a mere genin like you." Naruto said. Shikimaru shrugged.

"Just confirming. I don't need to know."

"That you don't." The tow lapsed back into silence. Finally Shikimaru spoke again.

"You know, you seem pretty smart." He said. Naruto shrugged in response. "You ever played shogi?"

"Once or twice." Naruto replied.

"You look like you'd be a good opponent. If you ever want to have a match." The Nara shrugged. Naruto grinned, under his scarf.

"I just might, Nara-san. I just might."

* * *

**AN:) well, there ya go! Wow, two updates in two days. I'm on a roll! See at the next update folks, and don't forget to review.**


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